- present participle of invite.
inviting
Americanadjective
adjective
Other Word Forms
Etymology
Origin of inviting
Explanation
Inviting things are very appealing. Your host's inviting smile makes you truly feel welcomed and even a little bit charmed. On a hot summer day, nothing looks quite as inviting as a cool, sparkling swimming pool, and when you come inside after walking home in the snow, a cozy fire in the wood stove is also quite inviting. Something inviting promises comfort or pleasure. The word comes from invitation, from the Latin invitare, "invite, treat, or entertain," which originally meant "be pleasant toward."
Example Sentences
Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
Wataka tried to defuse tensions by inviting the officials and police to attend the concert, an offer that wasn’t accepted.
From The Wall Street Journal • Jul. 5, 2026
They mingled, they were getting in with the lads, organising things off the pitch and inviting everyone else.
From BBC • Jul. 3, 2026
Still, Coffin is fine inviting them into the big tent with the rest of us, if only to show where the Hollywood blockbuster machine can find its next gear.
From Los Angeles Times • Jul. 1, 2026
Other justices dissented, questioning Cook’s property claim and the ruling’s broad scope, potentially inviting future challenges.
From Barron's • Jun. 29, 2026
Usually, they’re cool and inviting, and they break up the monotony of farmland.
From "A Heart in a Body in the World" by Deb Caletti
Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
